[scottLobster]

Not a fairy tale at all. In the 19th century De Tocqueville commented on how eager Americans were to sell land in pursuit of profit relative to Europeans at the time.

It seems that in the post-war era we settled on this notion that families should largely remain rooted and stable, and that became part of the modern "American Dream". I wonder if all of that is just a long-term backlash against the forced migrations of the Great Depression, made possible by the economic golden age we were going through at the time.

For my part I'm putting off buying a house precisely because it'll decrease my mobility.

[davidw]

IIRC, it was later than post WWII - more like the 70ies.

Or maybe you're right and it's a longer term trend:

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/02/american-mobility-has...

[scottLobster]

Interesting. So maybe it's a Baby Boomer phenomenon? Wish the data went back further, doesn't look like the Census started monitoring this before 1948. With some Googling it looks like federal home-ownership assistance efforts (either through providing subsidized housing or tax relief) started as far back as the Great Depression. Maybe people just wanted houses and prior to such programs it was unattainable for most?

Looks like a good topic for a book for anyone who has the time. I'm sure it's a confluence of several factors. :)

[maxerickson]

I wonder how much the hectic pace of logging in the US contributed to that difference.

http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/rr-logging.html

Land purchased for the timber would be a prime candidate for disposal once it was cleared.

[muninn_]

On the other hand, it's much more difficult to build lively, supportive, and necessary communities when everybody be moving all the time. Granted, obviously is the one source of income in a town dries up, you should probably move, but seeking out employment by hoping coast to coast does harm to our communities, especially when you aren't involved.

Unlike you, (and I don't mean this in a negative way, it's a complicated discussion) I actually did the opposite and committed myself to the city I currently reside in, less there are 0 economic opportunities to be had, and I volunteer and participate in my community and get to know people. It's easier to build strong communities when you at least know the other people in your condo building.

[scottLobster]

Yeah just depends on your goals/place in life. I imagine once kids come along I'll start growing more roots, but for now my focus is on my fiancée's and mine careers. And right now I'm at the best software development job that doesn't require a 1-hour commute. So while I could chase pay-grades for the next 30 years and make a decent run of things (plenty of my coworkers have), I kinda see that as a path to career mediocrity.

I agree that moving around makes developing strong ties tough. Once I get further along I'll reconsider taking my foot off the gas a little. My standard is essentially: "If I was trying to convince my kid to go into engineering, would I use my job as an example to aspire towards?" Right now, while I'm grateful for my job and the work certainly isn't bad, the answer is no.

[nandemo]

There was a post on HN on US internal migration patterns a while ago. IIRC migration rates have decreased, but it's a fairly recent phenomenon (as in 1990s not 1950s).